How Zombies Work

A lone (but deadly) child zombie from the original "Night of the Living Dead."

At first glance, Davis's research seems promising. Tetrodotoxin definitely causes paralysis and death, and researchers have documented cases in which people have recovered from near-fatal tetrodotoxin poisoning. Some of the samples Davis brought back to the United States also produced dramatic results when applied to the shaved skin of rats and a rhesus monkey. The subjects became lethargic and then immobile, but they eventually recovered completely.

Other researchers, however, have raised questions about the legitimacy of Davis's research and the actual components of the samples he brought back from Haiti. Scientists have:

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Questioned Davis's ethics, since he observed the desecration of graves when gathering ingredients for the powder

Questioned whether the initial experiments with the powder were scientific or controlled and whether other substances had been added to the powder being tested

Alleged that samples of powder contained little to no tetrodotoxin. Davis counters that putting the powder into solution for testing may have destroyed the active ingredients

Revealed that Davis repeated his topical applications of the powder using rats and saw absolutely no effect

A lot of people view Davis's work as the only possible explanation for the Haitian zombie phenomenon. Others dismiss it as unscientific or even fraudulent. You can learn more about the controversies regarding Haitian zombies and Davis's research in the April 15, 1988 issue of the journal Science or the October 11, 1997 issue of The Lancet.

Haitian zombies have been the inspiration for movies, books and video games. Next, we'll look at portrayals of zombies in popular culture.

He's Only Mostly Dead

According to Davis's theories, a person poisoned with Haitian zombie powder regains consciousness either while in the coffin or shortly after being removed from it. But he explains that the bokor have a built-in safety net if the procedure doesn't work. Bokor say that divine intervention can prevent the reanimation of a zombie. They also say they can't create a zombie if the powder is too potent and kills too completely.